Monday last day to register

If you want to vote in the July 31 primary in Newton County, you have to be registered to vote. If you’ve never registered, have moved from a different county or haven’t voted for more than five years, chances are you need to register to vote, which can be done at the local board of elections, 1113 Usher St. in Covington. Residents do not have to register by political party and can vote in whichever party’s primary they want.

Applications to register to vote can be downloaded online or picked up at any number of places, including the library, department of motor vehicle office or any city hall. They must be dropped or mailed to the board of elections at P.O. Box 1274, Covington, GA 30015.

Anyone registering to vote for the first time in Georgia by mail must include proper identification with the application, including a copy of a current and valid photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address.

Once the board of elections processes your application, a voter registration card will be sent to you generally within three to four weeks. The card will list your polling precinct, but you can also go to the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ga.gov and select the MVP (My Voter Page) to verify registration, polling location, districts and sample ballots.

In addition, new voter registration cards were mailed to all registered voters in the county, active and inactive, because voting districts changed following the redistricting approved earlier this year. The cards reflect the new congressional, state senate, state house, county commission and school board districts.

If you haven’t voted for three years and don’t respond to a confirmation notice sent to you after that time, you will be moved to “inactive” voter status. An “inactive” voter can actually still vote for up to two more years, but after that point they will be removed from any voter list.